21/08/2026
NATSIAACC welcomes the opportunity to contribute to IHACPA’s Residential Aged Care Pricing Framework 2027–28. Our position is clear: if the costs of delivering culturally safe care are not visible in the evidence used to develop pricing advice, they cannot be adequately reflected in the price paid for that care.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and Older People, high-quality Residential Aged Care cannot be understood or priced through clinical care, staffing minutes and standard administrative activity alone. Ageing well is also supported by trust, family and kinship engagement, connection to community, culture, Country or Island Home, culturally safe communication, trauma-aware and healing-informed practice, and care that recognises the whole person. These are not additional or discretionary features of First Nations care and culture. They are integral to whether care is safe, effective, trusted and capable of delivering good outcomes for Elders and Older People.
In response to IHACPA’s Consultation Paper on the Pricing Framework for Australian Residential Aged Care Services 2027–28, NATSIAACC has made 11 recommendations which seek to strengthen the accuracy of future pricing advice by ensuring it better reflects the real cost of delivering safe, high-quality and culturally appropriate Residential Aged Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and Older People.